Knowingly, Intelligent, and Voluntary

The man who killed multiple people in the movie theater, James Holmes, wants to plea guilty, but I understand the judge will not let him. To +Brian Zeiger, why can't he plea guilty and admit his crime of murder?

In order to plea guilty, it must be a knowingly, intelligent, and voluntary plea. That means the defendant must understand when he pleas, to what he is pleaing, he is competent to make the decision and the medications he is on are not preventing him from understanding where he is. In other words, no one forced him or convinced him to plea guilty, he is pleaing guilty because he did it, because he committed murder.

In this case, the judge needs to make sure that the man is competent to enter the plea.

James Holmes Murder
James Holmes

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